Poll: On the road to 8-0 entering the USC showdown, what’s the trap game?

The conventional wisdom among most, if not all, Oregon fans is that the Ducks should be a perfect 8-0 entering their trip to Los Angeles to face USC on Nov. 3.

That would mean winning all three nonconference games as well as the first five Pac-12 games of the 2012 season, and by all means Oregon should be favored in all eight.

Though the nonconference slate seriously lacks sex appeal on paper, Arkansas State and Fresno State have records of recent success and new coaching staffs, making those matchups perhaps more interesting than they look simply as names on the schedule. They at least hold enough weight with CBSSports' Bruce Feldman that Oregon did not make his list of the top 10 easiest nonleague schedules for 2012.

That said, I reiterate, the Ducks by all means should be 3-0 entering conference play. But the next five games prior to the Los Angeles trip — OK, the next four; sorry Colorado — all feature some intrigue. If there's a trap game in there, which has you most worried?

The Pac-12 slate starts with a nationally televised matchup between spread-option innovator Rich Rodriguez, now at Arizona, and one of his early pupils, Chip Kelly. The Wildcats have a new starting quarterback, but that's probably a good thing given their change in schemes. Some recent defections on defense don't help, but Rodriguez should be able to help the UA defense prepare for what it will see from the Ducks.

Oregon closes September in Seattle, against Washington State at CenturyLink Field (and oh, will that stir the ghosts of the Seattle Bowl …). The Cougars have a new coach in Mike Leach who wants to throw about 70 percent of the time, a more than capable QB in Jeff Tuel, and one of the best receivers in the country in Marquess Wilson leading that group. As USC showed last year, the Ducks were vulnerable through the air; then again, Oregon's young cornerbacks really seemed to come of age over the final few games of 2011.

October opens with Oregon's attempt to make it nine straight over Washington. The Huskies also have a good, veteran QB in Keith Price, some talent at wideout and notably a couple of dangerous tight ends. This game is back in Eugene, but if WSU is able to shake the UO secondary's confidence a week earlier, perhaps the dam could break if Price and company keep attacking through the air.

Then, a bye week, before the Ducks leave the Northwest for the first time. For the third time in four games, they'll be facing a new head coach, in Todd Graham at Arizona State. Rodriguez and Leach cast long shadows in regards to past success and offensive innovation, making Graham something of a bore in comparison, frankly. Letdown game, perhaps, with the Ducks getting a little rusty after a week off?

And of course, through all of this the Ducks will be breaking in a new quarterback, or two, and adjusting to life without LaMichael James, and trying desperately to establish some consistency at receiver, and some depth at tight end. Nobody should doubt the potency of the UO offense under Kelly; then again, if somebody like Leach or Rodriguez is able to turn a game into a shootout, some not-unexpected growing pains by a young quarterback might be enough to give the opponent an edge.

I'll repeat this again: The Ducks by all means should be favored in all of these games. But crazy things can happen in college football. Going unbeaten is hard. Sometimes, matchups don't go as expected. And a young quarterback remains an X factor, even if Kelly has seemed to throw that theory on its head for the most part (the 2007 UCLA game being a notable exception).

What's the biggest trap game on Oregon's road to 8-0 entering the USC game? Is there even one that you can see? Or will it be smooth sailing?